2006 St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams struggled through a rough season in 2005, completing the year with 6 wins and 10 losses. Just the same, the Rams have plenty of loyal fans, thousands of whom bought tickets and showed up at the Edward Jones Dome to cheer them on. In fact, their paid attendance averaged well over 65,000 tickets sold per game.

Can first-year head coach Scott Linehan turn things around? If quarterback Marc Bulger stays healthy, he has the awesome Terry Holt to pass to. Gus Freotte has moved over from the Miami Dolphins for QB insurance, and former Carolina Panther Will Witherspoon should help spark the linebackers into action.

Some St Louis Rams history: The Cleveland Rams were founded in 1936 as a member of the American Football League (a different league from the AFL that later merged with the NFL). A year later the team joined the NFL. The Rams moved frequently, playing in three different stadiums over several losing seasons. In 1945 a remarkable turnaround occurred as rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield led the Rams to a 9-1 win-loss record and a 15-14 victory over the Washington Redskins in the NFL Championship Game. Despite the Rams' successful season, the franchise remained unprofitable. Following the season the team moved to Los Angeles.

From 1949 to 1951 Waterfield and fellow quarterback Norm Van Brocklin guided the Rams to three consecutive Western Division championships. Los Angeles won the NFL crown in 1951, defeating the Cleveland Browns 24-17 in the championship game. The winning play was a 73-yard pass from Van Brocklin to Tom Fears. Wide receiver Elroy 'Crazy Legs' Hirsch led the league that season with 1,495 yards, and he also scored 17 touchdowns. The Rams' next conference title, in 1955, was their last playoff appearance until 1967.

The Rams' dominance in the Western Division continued under Chuck Knox, who became the team's head coach in 1973. Knox led the Rams to five consecutive division crowns, recording a 54-15-1 regular-season win-loss-tie record from 1973 to 1977. His many stars included quarterback Pat Haden, offensive guard Tom Mack, running back Lawrence McCutcheon, linebacker Jack 'Hacksaw' Reynolds, and defensive end Jack Youngblood, who was named the league's top defensive player in 1975.

Ray Malavasi became the Rams' head coach in 1978. A former defensive coordinator for the Rams, Malavasi extended the team's streak of division titles in 1978 and 1979, for a total of seven straight. The Rams, however, lost the NFC Championship Game to the Dallas Cowboys following the 1978 season and Super Bowl XIV to the Pittsburgh Steelers (31-19) following the 1979 season.

Knox returned as head coach in 1992 and posted a 15-33 record over three seasons. Running back Jerome Bettis was named the league's top rookie in 1993. With dwindling fan support in Los Angeles, the Rams moved to St. Louis following the 1994 season. There, wide receiver Isaac Bruce amassed 1,781 receiving yards in 1995, the second-highest total in NFL history.